As health systems enter 2026, chief medical information officers say the biggest IT risks are operational, financial and clinical — and many are converging at once. From ransomware threats to unchecked AI adoption, CMIOs describe a landscape in which the margin for error is shrinking just as digital dependence deepens.
Here are five IT risks CMIOs say health systems should be watching most closely in 2026:
1. Cybersecurity threats are expanding — and getting harder to contain.
Cyber risk remains the most immediate concern. CMIOs point to ransomware, breaches of protected health information and system outages as persistent threats but warn that the attack surface is widening.
Usman Akhtar, MD, CMIO at Arlington, Va.-based VHC Health, said growing reliance on EHRs, cloud platforms and integrated third-party applications means downtime now carries clinical consequences, not just financial ones. Vendor vulnerabilities and identity management gaps are increasingly difficult to control as systems become more interconnected.
Nadeem Ahmed, MD, CMIO at Paramus, N.J.-based Valley Health System, echoed that concern, noting that as AI becomes embedded across software platforms, health systems will need to place even more emphasis on safeguarding patient data and ensuring system availability.
2. AI is moving faster than governance structures.
Several CMIOs flagged uncontrolled AI adoption as a major risk heading into 2026. While enthusiasm for AI tools is high, governance frameworks often lag behind deployment.
Amer Saati, MD, PhD, CMIO of Roseville, Calif.-based Adventist Health, warned against implementing AI without strong oversight.
“Deploying AI rapidly without solid governance, validation, monitoring and data controls can lead to patient safety issues and regulatory compliance problems,” Dr. Akhtar said.
3. Costs are colliding with constrained resources.
Beyond technical risk, CMIOs emphasized financial strain as a growing IT vulnerability.
Annie Ideker, MD, CMIO at Bloomington, Minn.-based HealthPartners, said the cost of implementing and maintaining newer technologies — especially AI-enabled tools — is becoming harder to justify as health systems face tightening budgets.
She said the cost pressures will require IT leaders to prioritize technology investments in close partnership with operational leaders with competing demands.
4. Poorly integrated tools are fueling workforce fatigue.
CMIOs also described workforce fatigue as a technology risk — not just a human resources issue.
Dr. Saati said digital tools that are poorly aligned with clinical workflows can accelerate burnout rather than relieve it. When technology increases cognitive load or fragments care delivery, clinicians may disengage, eroding both adoption and safety.
The risk, CMIOs say, is not simply deploying too much technology, but deploying it without adequate change management or frontline input.
5. Data integrity and interoperability gaps remain unresolved.
As more data flows into health systems from devices, patients and external partners, CMIOs warned that data quality issues can quickly cascade into clinical risk.
Dr. Akhtar described interoperability and data integrity as persistent vulnerabilities, particularly when flawed inputs undermine analytics, automation and clinical decision support. The challenge is magnified by AI, which depends on large volumes of high-quality data to function safely.
Without stronger data governance, CMIOs say, health systems risk scaling problems faster than they can fix them.
The post The biggest IT risks facing health systems in 2026 appeared first on Becker's Hospital Review | Healthcare News & Analysis.
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